His ongoing work behind the scenes serves to help put blues artists up front. His dedication to his work is unquestionable and is a testimony to his passion for the blues. You may find him hosting the annual Lys Blues awards event or hear him on his radio program “Sous Un Ciel Blues”, but wherever he is, you can be sure he’s promoting the blues. Crossroads Blues is proud to present this interview with Martin Lachance.

CB: Hello Martin. Thanks for speaking with us. The 2006 Lys Blues award gala just took
place on Sept 17, 2006, and as in the past, you did an excellent job hosting the event.
Tell us about your connection with the Lys Blues awards.

ML: Well, first, I just want to mention that it’s a pleasure for me to answer your
questions! Talking about the Lys Blues awards, I’ve been a part of this gala
with the Le Net Blues people (Louise Gosselin and Réjean Nadon) since the start of this
great event. Le Net Blues asked me to host this event and there was no doubt in my head
that this project would be a real success!

CB: The Lys Blues awards provide a great chance for artists to get recognized on the
scene. Were you surprised by any of the nominees or winners?
ML: Surprised? No…because it’s the public who choses. We want the Blues fans to vote for their favourite artists.

CB: What can we expect for the Lys Blues awards in the future?
ML: I will say that this event will get better and better year after year because even
now, we notice that the musicians put their nominations or wins on their C.V.s or they talk about them proudly during their interviews. So, I want to believe that in the near future, more media will be interested in this great Quebec blues event!

CB: Radio is another avenue where you promote the blues. How did you get into radio? How
long has your current program been running?
ML: I started hosting a blues radio show back in 1989 in Quebec City at the local station
(CIHW-FM) and two years later at CKIA-FM (Radio-Baseville) also in Quebec City. Even at
this time, it was two full hours of blues where I did interviews with Jim Zeller, Carl
Tremblay, Ray Bonneville, etc…and I played all styles of blues …After a couple of years
away from the scene, I came back in 2002 to CHAA-FM 103.3 for a new turn with my current show “Sous Un Ciel Blues” starting with 5 hours of blues music the first year. The show is
now on air every Monday night from 9 p.m. to midnight (3 hours) and is
presented also on Saturday nights from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Doing a blues show is a way to promote the local artists and their music and to introduce blues music to all the people who want to learn information about this kind of music. Also, since June 2004, “Sous Un Ciel Blues” is presented on the local radio in Charlevoix on CIHO-FM 96.3 every Tuesday and Saturday nights.

CB: Do you have a "day job"?
ML: Yes of course, I work at the Casino de Montréal.

CB: Where did you grow up? Which blues artists first caught your attention?
ML: Quebec City (Charlesbourg). The first artist that caught my attention was Stevie
Ray Vaughan back in the 80’s.  He was like a tornado blowing the Blues music back into
the mainstream…I had the chance to meet him on his In Step tour back in 1989. He was performing in Quebec and he did an autograph session at a local music store. I was very lucky to have had him sign my vinyl records (at this time) and had a picture taken with him. That was a great moment for me. Also, during that time I saw Jeff Healey in a little bar just before he get the attention of the media. Buddy Guy was also one of my favourite ones back in the 90’s.

CB: Has your taste in blues changed over the years?
ML: My basic taste is the same but I can say that now I’m looking to expand my pallet. People like Rick Holmstrom stretched the blues boundaries on his album “Hydraulic Groove” in 2003 and I think that artists like guitar player Joe Bonamassa play the blues in a new, interesting way. I think that you have to move ahead and play your own style instead of playing the same covers night after night. One of my favourite CD’s these days is Garrett Mason’s “I’m A Man”. Just his own songs and great way of playing the blues with a great sound!

CB: What are the recent blues CDs you’ve been spinning?
ML: Garret Mason of course. Joe Bonamassa (Blues Deluxe), Mike Goudreau (The Grass
Ain’t Greener), Mike Deway (Une gang de Fous), Janiva Magness (Do I Move You), Ricky
Paquette (Early for the Show)…

CB: How do you determine your playlist?
ML: I put in a lot of material that the artists send me. But, the blues I put in
my playlists must be tasteful. If I put on a CD, listen to it from cover to cover and want to listen to it again, it’s a good start. I try to cover a lot of different styles of blues music; Texas blues, acoustic blues, Chicago
blues… and of course Quebec blues!

CB: As you know, Crossroads Blues aims to support and promote artists that write and
record original material. Do you aim to get a certain degree of original songs in your radio
program?
ML: I try to get as much as I can. I think it’s the best way for an artist to develop their own style!

CB: What have been some highlights of your radio career so far?
ML: Having the chance to interview many great artists and personalities is a great joy for
me. People like Joe Bonamassa, Kim Wilson, W.C. Clark, Bruce Iglauer (Alligator Records), Bob Walsh, Jim Zeller, Jimmy Bowskill, Scott Holt, Dawn Tyler Watson, Nanette Workman, Kevin Mark, Trevor Finlay, Paul Deslauriers, Bryan Lee and many others have given me their time for the radio show and I think that these moments were all great memories for me…

CB: You’ve met many interesting characters on the blues scene. Who are some of your
favourites? Can you share an interesting, or humorous story with us?
ML: It’s always a great time when Jim Zeller comes in for an interview. I’ve known Jim since 1991 and I think that he has one of the greatest memories I’ve seen. He can tell you about when he played with Muddy Waters and he imitates Muddy in the same way he was talking to him! Always funny doing an interview with Zeller because you never know which way he’s gonna go or what stories he will talk about!

CB: The blues has provided the basis for many musical styles, and blues inflections and
influence can be found in many genres, from rock to pop to hard rock, and just about
everything in between. Although the blues influence is evident in other music genres, is
there a line that can be crossed in what is the general public considers blues? Has that
limit been crossed too often?
ML: I don’t think so. It’s a good thing if we can find traces of blues influences in
other music because maybe some of the listeners will want to know more about this
influence and style and it could be good for the blues.

CB: If so, what does this mean for the future of the blues, and the actual blues artists
who have to compete with rock and pop based artists for blues gigs?
ML: I think that music history is like a roller coaster…It goes up and down over the years. Blues music maybe has to wait for another SRV to put the genre back into the spotlight as he did in 1983. Since his passing, nobody has taken his place to lead the blues scene on the major league. By the way, the new generation of blues artists have to put their own styles and own songs on record and not try to just redo their own versions of popular blues standards… I think that the public wants to hear new and fresh blues that’s never been heard!

CB: In your view, what can be done to better promote and support artists in the blues
genre?
ML: Internet sites like yours is a great vehicle for promoting blues artists. The blues
artists also have to do their own promotion and send their CD’s to radio stations that have blues programming if they want to get their music played! My show always has room for the artists who want to promote their original blues CD’s.

CB: Thanks Martin. Any final words for the Crossroads Blues readers and your listeners?
ML: Thanks to you for having me and be sure that “Sous Un Ciel Blues” will always do its best to promote the blues artists from the Quebec and Canadian scene. Keep the Blues alive… forever !!

Be sure to catch Martin’s show every Monday from 9 pm to midnight and again on Saturdays from 6 to 9 pm (EST) by clicking HERE.